Diabolix

Update 1/26 ,

Took a bus from Salinas, CA 1:15 AM to LA CA arrived at 9AM. Seller named Dan met me at the bus station with the car, and as soon as it rolled up i could tell this thing was greatly taken care of and the pix i added before don't do it any justice. Dan was a really nice guy and definately knew how to take care of his cars. I took everyones advice on the car on what to look for and while there were no issues at all with the window motor or any grinding noises or anything of that nature, the only thing that is wrong with the car is it needs the new Hydraulic Trunk lid openers replaced as they dont keep air anymore and hold the cargo lid open which to me is not a big deal at all and probably an easy fix. Other than that, the car being an 04, still smelled brand new inside couldnt believe it, not one dent or scratch, and can't believe this or a rock chip!!! All original paint confirmed, and was inspected not one issue. 29,800 miles and im back home in Monterey with my baby. I can say this, owning performance cars before from Mitsubishi and Subaru, they were awesome cars. but something about the Z makes me feel much more attracted to it in both driving and appeal. And it's peak power is quite nice even without the Turbo. I plan on doing many things to this car and will make another thread of my car later on. I just can't belive i never got into a Z earlier....

Just wanted to say thanks to all that gave me info on the car, and you can officially call me a Z brother haha.

pix of the car as soon as i bought it. New wheels are the first thing im doing!

















What's up! i'm going to be a new 350z owner in the next few days if all goes well. And i was looking to get some advice on what to look for when i go see the Z.

First off i'm a previous Evo, And STi owner. I understand those cars are much faster because of the Turbo. But i've always wanted a Z. And with the 370z Being a little out of my Range in terms of price / what i would like to do with my Z, the 350 fits the bill perfectly.


So as for the car i'm looking at. It's an 04 model 350z, Manual 6 Spd Transmission, Black, Enthusiast model? (No leather seats, no brembo brakes) it has only 28k Original miles on it. As for the Title it's a clean title one owner, and i'm going to be picking it up for 13.5k.

A few questions i have would be what exactly to look for when i get down there? like known issues with this certain model , etc.

Also like Evo's , Do the 350z have VIN stickers on all the factory body pieces to see if everything is original and / or been replaced?

What is this particular black color called on the 04 350z?

Do you think 13.5k Is a fair price given the car is already 9 years old, but it looks amazing at least in pictures? i did KBB it and it comes out to anywhere between 13k-17k based on options that it has on it currently, which are basically just the aftermarket wheels. Everything else is Stock on the DE motor

It does have some Chrome wheels on it that i will definately be taking off and replacing with some 18x9 Hyperblack G-Force's, which leads me to my next question about tires, i plan on running 255/45/18 R and 245/40/18 F Would that be an appropriate setup for the RWD? If not suggestions are wanted!!


I did as much research as i could on the Z these past few days. I plan on modding the car, but i would like opinions from people off this forum! as you will know the most about this car compared to most searches on google etc.

I will however start to browse other threads trying to find answers to some of my questions.


All suggestions are welcome

Thanks in advance

Edit : Pix added

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

Hey look for knee pads on either side of the center console. Those were the 2004.5 models, which supposedly had issues fixed such as rear axle click, tire feathering, etc

350zsunshinefl

iTrader: (1)

Price is fair for the mileage, need pics though.

Z's hold the value well in general, for example an 07-08 with <30k miles even a base will still go for 16k + not even mentioning grand touring and enthusiast.

I'll check my z panels and let you know for the VIN's

FWM69

Better hope it's an 04.5+, if it's not you might get tire feathering. If I'm not mistaken, the tranny was revised in the 04.5 . Other than that, check the oil pressure gauge, When you raise the hood or hatch, look at the bolts used and see if all of them match because who knows if it's been wrecked and was never reported. On the tail lights, once the hatch is open, see if the little plastic clips are still on all 6 of the bolts. Other than that, it sounds like a deal man.

johnnyvq

Now that sounds like a deal!

As for the axle clicking, all Z's do that. My 2005 did that and my buddy's 2008 Nismo does it. I just got my lubed and no more clicking.

Now post pics!

Diabolix

Okay when I see the car ill check that out


So the models late 2004 had the revisions made then?

Diabolix

Yah definitely, the HR have the higher hp engine too.

Ill update thread if I buy the car with pictures of it. As of now they are only on my phone and not my computer.

And thanks!

Diabolix

Good advice, hopefully this model is with the revised tranny and definitely going to check the bolts!

Diabolix

I am going to post pix just need to get home first and get them on my computer , upload to photobucket and then ill throw a link up.



And yah once I get the car going to fully service it.

WSchli1672

Price: Good, Mileage - Excellent. Color: Superblack. I have a 2003 Track Model "Superblack" myself (491hp). As to condition take nothing for grant. Have a professional check it out for a few bucks. I recommend "Rob" owner of ZCargarage.com. Check them out. Specializes in Z's, Gtr's, G's. Can't go wrong. As to feathering well known for 2003 and 2004 models. Wheel alignment was the simple solution. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions. I live in Salinas. ZONC Rep. for Monterey/Santa Cruz Counties.

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

Hey Diabolix,

Happy to hear you're interested in getting a Z. They are fantastic cars to drive/own. I believe the black color for the 2004 350Z was described as "super black" and the color code is KH3. Regarding the tire setup, you should be fine, these cars can easily accommodate 9.5" in the front and 10.5" in the rear. The OEM rims were 17" on this year. Tire sizes were F(225/50/R17) and R(235/50/R17). The OEM spec on the 18" touring rims found on the 05 Anniversary edition and later the 06-08 are F(225/45/R18) and R(235/45/R18), note these rims were 8" wide in the front and 8.5" in the rear. I would be more worried about the width and offset of those G-force rims matching up with the tires you're looking at and even more importantly matching up with the Z. Make sure you get that nice Flush finish. Regarding the VIN stamp on body parts/etc. I don't believe nissan does this. If they do I simply haven't noticed.

Here's some general tips:

1) Use the hand/finger spacing technique around all 4 wheels. Check the gap between the tire and fender walls using your fingers as a form of measurement(front wheels need to be centered). If the spacing is off between the driver's side and passenger's side. Then this car has most likely been in an accident and has possible frame/suspension damage.

2) Have a good look at the undercarriage with a flash flight. If there's excessive scrape marks or caked on mud/crud, beware. The car could have been lowered/modded and then reverted back to stock. It could also have flood damage. I hear there are a lot of cars being flipped that were flooded from Hurricane Sandy(slim chance this Z is one of them, but always assume the worst and hope for the best).

3) Check the engine compartment, with low mileage like this, it should be pretty clean in there. Look for any signs of paint over-spray around the hood/fenders/bumper. While your at it, look around the trunk hatch, bumper, and doors.

4) Test drive it. If you hear a rattle sound from the clutch, that is somewhat normal. The 6-speed manual for these cars has a very noisy clutch when the pedal is all the way out in neutral. You may also feel a slight catch when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. I have found that this is also common among Z owners.

5) The previous poster mentioned the tire/steering feathering and rear-axle/differential problems. Nissan posted TSBs(Technical Service Bulletins) on these issues. If this is the original owner, the problems were most likely already resolved. However I would ask the owner for any and all maintenance paperwork! I personally own an 06 which had a lot of changes made since the 03-05s and therefore didn't have a lot of these earlier Z problems. I would recommend just googling Nissan TSBs on an 04 350Z and ask the owner about it.


Other things to note: The front headlights on this year are not HID projector lenses like the 2006+ are(the projector lens is much smaller). The rear taillights are not LED like the 2006+. The front bumper grill is also different as well as much of the interior/dash/console finishing. I only mention this stuff so you can look out for aftermarket replacements. However it sounds to me like all this person did was swap out the OEM rims with some aftermarkets. Another common problem that appears to be consistent with all 350Zs are the window motors. If you notice the windows roll up/down slowly or roughly. It could be time for some work to be done. It's an easy fix and shouldn't be any cause for major concern. Besides that, just make sure all the electronics work! If the interior and exterior are both very clean. Then it's a safe bet this owner loved his Z and took excellent care of it. Like they say, the devil is in the details.

Good Luck!

icer5160

iTrader: (4)

As WSchli mentioned, you can't go wrong taking the Z to a reputable shop for a looksie. Whenever I run into a problem I can't handle myself, I call Rob at ZCG(Z car garage). Excellent service and no BS.

Diabolix

For sure, i'm in 831 too. And yah the car is down in Socal so i will probably have someone down there take a look at it. And Will do thanks man.

Diabolix

Hey buddy i really appreciate that post, really helpful! Yah i heard the window motor is a notorious issue, at least it's not a big deal to replace. And as for the tires you think i should go wider with the 18x9 than the 255? And supposedly the guy has always had it garaged, from the HD pix he sent me the car looks pearly, but pictures can be deceiving. I'm going to know Saturday, and taking everyone's advice to have the car looked at. Another thing, With the HID's i read up a little on that. Says that the base model did not come with HID's but all other Z models did? Also it mentioned something as to installed a D2R bulb or D2S would work with standard halogen with a simple relay / harness i believe? Thanks!

Diabolix

There a lot of Z meets around the 831 area?? And if so you guys ever hit up Laguna seca!?

JCITY

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a good buy.With the miles&pics,could be a older guy that owned the car.
It looks extremely clean.As far as checking VIN's on body parts,this is not a "all #'s
match" collector's car.I'd just check it over.By looking at the car,I'd guess the engine is just as clean.I would'nt be too hung up on the tire feathering issues.You'd think that those would have been fixed by the owner.In addition,the aftermarket wheels are not
the stock size.They look to be 19's.Maybe,20's.IMO,19'S look best on the Z.18's if you plan on tracking your car.If you do go with 18's,your tire selection raises some questions.
The Z has a staggered set up.The 9" wheels will work.I'd do a wider wheel in the rear,
like a 10-10.5.OEM tire size is:225/45/18 front,245/45/18 rear.You could upgrade those sizes to,255/40/18&275/40/18 and still be in the correct tolerances.The car would look better too.

oldschool350z

iTrader: (1)

I have a 2004.5 and love it. You can simply look at the vin sticker or see if there are knee pads. I was debating a WRX or a Z. I got the Z because to me it was more fun to drive with a bit of luxury (my Z is a touring with heated seats, bose etc).

Bmurray350z

iTrader: (34)

Not all 04 Zs with knee pads are 04.5..my old z had knee pads but was not 04.5

Vin numbers are really the only way to tell

oldschool350z

iTrader: (1)

Good to know. Basically if it's 06/2004 and up it's considered a 2004.5, correct?

l2iceman

iTrader: (8)

Yes, good point.

OP, here's a link on what to look for in terms of VIN:

https://my350z.com/forum/2003-2009-n...4-5-350zs.html

Also, I'm sure by now any "issues" would have been fixed by now as the car has been out for awhile.